Love's Elegy
by Skyress8619
Summary: Sequel to Love's Requiem. A horrifically late White Day story. It's White Day in Elrios, and it was just like a month ago. The relationships established on Valentine's Day are going well, especially with Raven and Rena. But a certain someone is there to ruin the day...
1. Chapter 1

**Skyress8619 has logged in.**

**Skyress8619: Greetings, readers. As you all know this is a sequel to the Valentine's story that I wrote a month ago. Because of this the classes will remain the same but I will remind you all again. **

**Elsword: Rune Slayer  
Aisha: Elemental Master  
Rena: Wind Sneaker  
Raven: Veteran Commander  
Eve: Code Empress  
Chung: Tactical Trooper**

**Skyress8619: If you don't know what White Day is it happens in Korea on the 14****th**** of March, exactly a month after Valentine's Day. White Day is when men give gifts to women (mostly non-chocolate candy, but can be other gifts as well), usually at twice or three times the price of what they received in Valentine's Day. How I found out about it was when I realised that KR Elsword released two cutscenes (I can't called them animated because they're not) for Elsword White Day featuring Blade Master and Deadly Chaser (BMxWS and DCxIP).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword. Elsword is owned by KOG Studios and publishers such as Nexon and Kill3rCombo. **

That stupid alarm clock went off again for the millionth time in Elsword's life. The red-head slammed his hand on it, silencing the damn thing immediately. It was that one noise that brought him back to Elrios from heaven, and he really wished that he could stay there forever. Sleep was so wonderful, and he never got to revel in it for as long as he wanted, as he had promised his older sister to train every day.

Elsword groaned, heaving himself out of bed and finding himself facing the calendar on the wall. _Right, it's March 14__th__…_ His mind was too groggy to find any significant meaning on the date. _I've perfected my ice rune combo; I should test it out on Raven and hopefully beat him this time…_ The excitement of being able to beat his older brother figure woke him up a bit, enough to realise what the date really meant.

It was White Day.

That meant he needed to go down to town and get something for Aisha. And he had no idea how expensive his gift was meant to be. And he really had no idea how much money the Elgang had in their hands; they probably weren't as rich as they were before, not that they were rich to begin with anyway. But nonetheless, he needed to get something to show a bit of respect for the Elemental Master that he shared a special moment with exactly a month ago.

He suddenly realised how hot it was today, being in a t-shirt and long pants. After changing into his usual attire of a midriff top and baggy pants, he felt much better; the clothing was a lot lighter, which meant easier movement. He threw open the curtains, the sun blinding him momentarily before the sight of a calm forest faded into his vision. _Nope, nothing out of ordinary._ He headed out of his room, immediately seeing Aisha about to walk down the stairs. She was reading a book.

The Elemental Master lost her balance as her foot failed to connect properly to the next step, causing her to scream as she fell forward, about to tumble down the stairs.  
"Aisha!" Luckily, Elsword was near the stairs. He dived down, catching Aisha and hugging her tightly, using his body to protect her from the impact of the fall. They tumbled down together, the purple-haired girl unconsciously hugging the red-head back until the movement finally stopped, with Elsword on the bottom.

Rena had just finished cooking breakfast and rushed over to the scene.  
"Aisha, Elsword!" The Elemental Master opened her eyes which she had tightly shut and found herself with her arms tightly around the Rune Slayer, who was unconscious. She immediately blushed and got off him.  
"What the heck happened?" The elf asked before her eyes immediately went to the book that was lying nearby. "You were reading while you were going down the stairs?" Rena's infamous murderous aura began to surround her.

Sensing that lying would be just about the most stupid thing she could do at the moment, she decided to come out with it. "… I did, Rena… Um…"  
"And Elsword had to protect you, getting himself hurt instead. You should be checking whether he's okay!" Aisha immediately obeyed, going over to Elsword. He was still breathing and looked like he was just knocked out.

"Ugh, my back…" the Rune Slayer groaned, surprising the Elemental Master and the Wind Sneaker. He sat up slowly, rubbing his head before his eyes went to Aisha's. "You okay, Aisha?"  
"I'm fine, thanks Elsword." She blushed and turned away.  
"Good."

"You okay, Elsword?" Rena asked.  
"My back and my head hurts but I'm okay." The smell of food caused him to shoot back on his feet. "Breakfast is ready, Rena?" The elf laughed.  
"Yep, I'll bring it to the table." She went back into the kitchen. Aisha and Elsword sat down at the dining table and found Eve and Chung talking.

It was like those two had become best friends since Valentine's Day, and it was awfully suspicious…  
"… Been so much lighter and I've spent the month trying to master those aerial combos, but I haven't really practiced with an actual opponent. So, can I test them on Oberon?"  
"You are very welcome to. I shall record battle data while you fight and then analyse it after."

Raven walked in, only to find Chung and Eve engaged in conversation about his Freiturnier and Destroyer as well as Elsword and Aisha whispering. He couldn't make out what they were saying, though. He left his blade leaning against the wall and went to the kitchen to help Rena serve breakfast to the table. He was usually unresponsive to the smell of the food, but the elf must have cooked up something special, because the smell this time was really making him hungry.

"Morning, Raven."  
"Morning, Rena. That smells really good."  
"Really? That's the first time I've heard you compliment the smell of my cooking. You're usually never fazed, unlike Elsword." As if on cue, the two heard a groan, most likely coming from the red-head. Then they heard a slap and a much higher pitched voice scolding him.

"Well, let's get breakfast over so we don't have to hear Elsword complaining anymore." Carrying dishes, the Veteran Commander and the Wind Sneaker entered the dining area and set down the food. Elsword dug in immediately, only to be hit by Aisha again. Raven was not aware that the Rune Slayer had just tumbled down the stairs while hugging the Elemental Master tightly. If he had known the red-head would be subject to some form of punishment. He should have dived, caught Aisha, and rolled after he hit the bottom, instead of even making contact with the stairs.

After the meal was over and done with, Elsword headed upstairs again to get his sword, while Aisha hid inside her room as usual, indulging herself with knowledge and books. Chung, after getting his Destroyer, headed outside with Eve, the Nasod Queen's servants following her.  
"Well, it's White Day. You going to get something for me?" Rena asked. Raven had almost forgotten.  
"Of course, but after training."

"Alright then. Can I watch?"  
"You're welcome to." Elsword came back downstairs with his weapon.  
"Hey, Raven! I'm definitely going to win!" _Sure, Elsword's confident, but usually not this confident…  
_"Hmmm… Let's see what kind of strategy you've got now. Meet me in the battlefield." The Veteran Commander took his blade and was out the door before the red-head could react.

"Wait for me! Why so fast?" Annoyed, the Rune Slayer ran after him. Rena followed as well and it didn't take long to reach the clearing in the forest that they always sparred in. Raven was there, patiently waiting for Elsword.  
"What was that for?"  
"Warming myself up. And now you're warmed up too." The Veteran Commander leapt backwards into the air.

Elsword expected a firebomb and jumped back as well, only to see that his opponent was raining smaller bombs onto the ground. Part of the battlefield was now carpeted with fire and the Rune Slayer flinched as he landed, almost falling into the flames.  
"Hellfire Gatling!" Raven planted his blade into the ground, allowing him to handle the recoil as many flaming bullets sprayed towards his target.

Not only was Elsword limited where he could stand, but he had to dodge the bullets coming at him. He always wondered what it felt like to launch such an attack, but the thought was shook aside as he felt the heat from a bullet that almost hit him in the side. The Rune Slayer summoned an ice rune in front of him, using it as a shield. The bullets were rendered useless.

Even when the fire rate was sped up the ice rune held. Finally the attack finished and Raven recoiled, leaving him open for attack.  
"Luna Blade!" A blue blade appeared from above Elsword before it rushed towards the target. The Veteran Commander threw himself to the side, dodging the attack and rolling before getting back onto his feet. He got up just in time to block a downwards slash from the Rune Slayer.

Even though Elsword's sword was heavier than Raven's, he could still slash and block just as fast. The latter was blocking slashes from the former, noting that the red-head's attack speed had increased. It was nothing the raven-haired man couldn't handle. Seeing as his increased attack speed wasn't even fazing his opponent, Elsword quickly summoned an exploding rune in front of him, blowing the Veteran Commander back a few metres.

The Rune Slayer starting shooting runes towards Raven. Every single dodge was always a close one and before long his target leapt into the air.  
"Harpoon Spear!" Elsword sent a rune to counter the firebomb, but the projectile's sharp point pierced through, causing the red-head to be caught in the explosion as the firebomb hit just at his feet. Pain and the impact made his world flash white, and he struggled to maintain his consciousness as he sailed through the air.

The Veteran Commander landed and jumped again towards the Rune Slayer, his arm and blade ignited, ready to land the finishing blow. Elsword gathered his concentration just in time to bring his sword in front of him, preventing a blazing blade from slicing him in half. Raven then followed up with a punch; the Nasod arm meeting the metal of the sword. The force from the blow sent the red-head even higher into the air, and Raven landed on the ground.

He fired a barrage of bombs at Elsword, who was still recovering from the Harpoon Spear attack. The Rune Slayer countered by shooting runes, causing the bombs to explode before they reached their intended target.  
"Giga Prominence!" The Veteran Commander raised his arm into the air, sending a wave of heat before pounding the ground with his claw. The heat warned Elsword of the attack. He landed on his feet and immediately dashed off to the side, dodging a flame geyser that would have burnt him.

The geysers continued, the heat pressuring the red-head more and more. And he was careful not to get too close to Raven; he knew what would follow. Elsword jumped backwards as the Veteran Commander pounded the ground again, sending a shockwave of fire. But what the Rune Slayer didn't anticipate was an extra explosion that occurred after that; luckily he had jumped back far enough.

_No wonder why there was smoke that wasn't there before._ The raven-haired man had made a slight miscalculation and the recoil kicked in, again leaving him open for attack. Elsword knew he was too far to dash up to him and slice him in half, but he decided to try something out. He dashed up to him anyway, and Raven expected a sword attack, blocking with his blade. Just at the last second the Rune Slayer made a burst in speed, thrusting his hand forward and summoning an ice rune.

The red-head was very close to falling forward, but summoning the rune gave him a bit of backward force, allowing him to maintain his balance as Raven flinched when the ice rune completely enveloped him. Elsword followed up by blasting more ice runes at the Veteran Commander, before exploding one, causing him to fly to the other side of the field. Just for extra effect the Rune Slayer sent one more ice rune towards the area where Raven would land.

He didn't miscalculate. Raven got up painfully slowly as he was enveloped with the ice rune while Elsword charged at him, sword ready to land a potentially fatal blow. Just as the Rune Slayer slashed the Veteran Commander leapt backward into the air just in time, raining down firebombs, forcing a retreat. Elsword and Raven were now separated by the fire on the ground.

This wasn't hard to bypass, however. The Rune Slayer knew he had the upper hand; even though his opponent used fire, the ice runes would have slowed him to some extent. Those same runes put out the fires, but they couldn't reach Raven. It was then Elsword realised that the fire was a mere distraction.  
"Ignition Crow!" Yes, he had been slowed, but his attack power wasn't necessarily weakened. The next thing the red-head knew, there was a large, flaming crow flying at him with incredible speed.

It was too late to dodge. The head of the crow connected with Elsword's stomach before it exploded, sending him flying across the battlefield, again trying to stay conscious. He rolled before getting back to his feet, wondering why Raven hadn't been shooting at him while he was in the air. Had he already been defeated? His answer was confirmed when he saw the Veteran Commander holding his chest with his Nasod claw. Wait, did he just sway on his feet?

Elsword rushed up to Raven with his sword ready; if the battle had been finished Raven would have told him so. The latter took the claw off his chest and blocked a combo of slashes. Before long the Veteran Commander exploded gunpowder right in front of the red-head; causing him to falter for a split second.  
"Giga Prominence!" _Wait... again?_ The Rune Slayer was close enough for the wave of heat to do a little damage and Raven pounded the round with his claw.

The wave of heat almost knocked Elsword into a geyser, but he recovered just in time and dodged all of the geysers successfully before leaping back to avoid the final explosion. The recoil of the attack on its user was longer than before, as the red-head could almost successfully land a Luna Blade. The Veteran Commander threw himself to the side, avoiding the attack and getting up just in time to block a downwards slash from Elsword.

They clashed, and Raven threw the Rune Slayer off, something which he almost never did. _Why would he do that? Wait, the only reason-_  
"Hellfire Gatling!" The spray of bullets caused the red-head to retreat, leaving a considerable amount of distance between him and Raven.  
"Luna Blade!" The Veteran Commander rolled to the side, dodging the blade. Just as he stood up the blue blade had broken; a large piece hitting him flat on the back and almost knocking him over.

Elsword saw as Raven regained his balance and turned and raised his arm, about to fire off more bombs. _Wait, why would he-_  
"Revolver Cannon!" The Rune Slayer threw himself to the side to dodge the bullets before dashing off from a roll. The Veteran Commander's blade was still in the ground as he recovered from the recoil, something that Elsword had never seen him do. It was almost as if he had to use his blade to support himself.

The red-head remembered what his older brother figure had told him before. _"Don't be afraid to go all out on me; I know how to take care of myself," is what he said. Now I'm not even sure if he's keeping his word._ If he stopped fighting now, Raven would just simply scold him and say that he really shouldn't have stopped; Elsword knew that would happen, anyway. He rushed up to the Veteran Commander, ready to land blows from his sword.

As the Rune Slayer attacked he noticed that Raven wasn't blocking properly; as if he couldn't bring his blade up fast enough. He had to occasionally block with his Nasod arm. Now it was extremely obvious that something was wrong, but again Elsword would only get scolded if he stopped and asked whether Raven was okay. He kicked the Veteran Commander in the stomach, causing him to reel backwards. That gave enough time for the red-head to charge up the rest of his mana reserves and summon a large ice rune.

The Rune Slayer jumped back, the ice rune detonating. After all the mist had disappeared Raven was still standing; the last of the flames from his arm disappearing. He was leaning heavily on his blade with pieces of ice stuck to his clothes and his bare skin. He didn't make any move to attack.  
"Raven, are you okay-" He collapsed on his side, not making any attempt to get back up.

Elsword and Rena rushed to his side.  
"Sorry, Raven. I just wanted to test that ice rune combo that I picked up a while ago; I didn't mean to-"  
"It's… alright…" His voice was weak, and was he shivering? "It's… cold… but I'll manage…" The Veteran Commander was struggling to stay awake. Now Elsword realised why he was using his arm a lot. He had been trying to keep himself warm.

"Can you use your arm?" Rena asked.  
"Can't… overheat…"  
"Elsword, see? He's so cold." The elf had put a hand on Raven's shoulder and the Rune Slayer did the same. If he didn't know it was his friend he would say he was touching ice.  
"And he's got ice all over him, too. Elsword, do something."  
"What am I meant to do anyway?"

"Something with your runes. I don't have any fire magic, and we don't know how long it'll talk to get Aisha out here."  
"What? We've got plenty-"  
"He could die from hypothermia!"  
"Wait-" The Rune Slayer then realised that he could have killed the Veteran Commander.

"Just do something!" Raven's eyes fluttered shut and his breathing slowed, worrying the elf even more.  
"Let's get him to his room first." Elsword grunted as he heaved the raven-haired man onto his shoulders. Even though he was slim he was still pretty heavy.  
"I'll go get it prepared then." Rena had calmed down a little and ran ahead.

Chung and Eve were still testing, because the house seemed empty when the Rune Slayer entered, except for Aisha who was quietly reading in her room. He walked upstairs, almost falling backwards before he reached the top. Elsword's shoulders were about to numb completely, but he didn't want to drop his friend yet. After reaching Raven's room, he found Rena there, who had set a towel on his mattress as well as a towel covering his blanket.

"Don't want them to get wet when all that ice melts." As the elf pulled aside the covers the red-head almost dumped Raven onto the bed, where he helped Rena position him properly. After covering the unconscious Veteran Commander with his blanket the Rune Slayer placed several fire runes around the room and near the bed, being careful not to burn anything.  
"Hopefully this'll make him better. I made sure those runes last longer." With that, Elsword and Rena exited the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Raven's eyes slowly opened. He noticed how comfortable he was. He realised that firstly, he wasn't freezing to death from Elsword's ice rune attack, and secondly he wasn't lying in that sparring field anymore. As his vision completely focussed he found himself in his room, lying in his own bed. There were floating fire runes surrounding the bed, and they were fading slowly.

_Looks like I can't get out of bed until Elsword comes back to get rid of the runes._ The Veteran Commander waited a little before the Rune Slayer and the Wind Sneaker walked in.  
"You okay, Raven?" Elsword asked.  
"I'm fine. How long have I been out?"  
"A few hours. It's about lunch time, anyway."_ A few hours?!_

Raven sat up.  
"Sorry for freezing you like that, Raven. I could have killed you." The red-head apologised.  
"You didn't stop, which I'm happy for. You actually listened to what I said. And I wanted to test myself to see how long I would last. I was constantly overheating to try and keep myself warm, but it didn't really help. Now I know how to counter any attacks like that." The Veteran Commander replied. "Mind if you get rid of the runes?"

"Oh, sure." The magical symbols disappeared with a wave of Elsword's hand. "Oh yeah! Lunch time!" He dashed back downstairs and Rena laughed.  
"You sure you're okay, Raven?" The elf asked.  
"I'm fine, I've already answered that question."  
"No, seriously."

Raven got out of bed to show that he could move properly again.  
"Thanks for bringing me back up here. Wait, who carried me?"  
"Elsword did."  
"Did he complain about my… weight?"  
"No, but it looked like you were pretty heavy to me."

"Okay, then. I'll tell him to do more pushups." Rena laughed again.  
"No wonder why he's so thin. He doesn't have any fat because he trains but he has no muscle either…"  
"He doesn't need that much, but a bit more to at least make himself look a bit… better. In front of Aisha." A third laugh rang out and Raven smiled a genuine smile.

"Rena! Thanks so much! This stuff is so delicious!" Elsword shouted from downstairs.  
"I've already told Aisha that it was lunch time. They're probably quarrelling as we speak." Rena said.  
"Let's break it up. Together."  
"Actually I think I've had my share. You should go and do it."  
"How-"

"Your death glare, of course." The Veteran Commander laughed.  
"I don't think that is as effective as your smile, though." Now it was the Wind Sneaker's turn to laugh.  
"No, you've got experience. Have you ever scared any of your comrades with your death glare?"  
"… I have, now that I think of it. It was funny for some, but not so funny on the receiving end."

"Well good. Go get them." Raven smiled before it turned into his usual scowl as he exited his room. Rena was right; the two were bickering downstairs at the table. Chung and Eve were discussing about their recent sparring session.  
"… And it's rude to just eat yourself first, you know!"  
"But I was hungry! Chung and Eve are eating too!"

"That was because they're just following you!" The Veteran Commander reached the table. He hadn't practiced his death glare much, but he hoped that it worked. He could get a really good laugh from their reactions.  
"You two should stop arguing." Elsword and Aisha turned towards the deeper voice and it looked like Raven was going to tear them apart limb by limb with only that glare in his golden orange eyes.

"Uhh, sorry, Raven…" Aisha almost stuttered.  
"Yeah, um… we didn't mean to fight…" Elsword said nervously.  
"Apologise. Now." The two turned to each other.  
"Sorry."  
"Don't argue again. That is all I ask." It was like being captain all over again when two of his comrades had gotten themselves into a fistfight and Raven had stepped in before anything serious happened.

"Yes, Raven." The Veteran Commander was going to ask them to call him "sir," only to remember that they're just kids, not members of the Crow Mercenaries.  
"Good. Remember to keep your promise. If you keep it for more than a day I'll be impressed." The glare dissipated and shortly afterwards Rena came downstairs, laughing and applauding.  
"Nice performance."

"Hey, Raven," Elsword had calmed down. "I thought Rena was going to come, but why you?"  
"I was just testing the usefulness of something I haven't done in a long time. Besides, Rena has had her share."

"Let's eat anyway." The Veteran Commander and the Wind Sneaker headed towards the kitchen to get their lunch. Chung and Eve had already been served by Oberon and Ophelia and Elsword and Aisha had gotten their lunch too.

After lunch had finished Elsword headed outside with his sword, pretending to head off into part of the forest and train there. In reality, he was going to go down to town and buy something for Aisha; he had money in his pockets. The red-head left his sword leaning on a tree near the mansion and ran before crashing into Raven. The older man didn't even flinch.  
"Going somewhere?"

After seeing how scary the Veteran Commander could get, the Rune Slayer gave up.  
"I just want to buy something for Aisha, since we… um…"  
"That makes sense. If we see you just make sure Aisha doesn't see you. Rena and I will understand."  
"Wait, you mean you-"

"To make it a fair share-"  
"That you kissed Rena on Valentine's last month?"  
"The same happened to you and Aisha." Raven remained stoic while Elsword's surprised expression came up. It almost made the older man laugh.  
"But you and Rena had a 'moment', right?" The red-head asked after he had recovered.

"… Yes. I was about to go and buy something for Rena too."  
"Then let's go together!"  
"She's coming along."  
"… Oh."  
"She'll probably tease you if she finds you roaming the shops."

"Okay."  
"Well, I have to go now. Good luck finding a gift for Aisha."  
"Thanks." Raven walked off, probably to get some money and Rena. Elsword hurried off. He had to get a headstart to avoid Rena. Then another, more troubling thought came to his mind. _What the hell am I meant to get for Aisha?_

A few minutes afterwards the Veteran Commander and the Wind Sneaker headed out of the mansion.  
"So, what are you going to get me?"  
"Well, how much did the ingredients for the chocolates cost you?"  
"Umm… not very much…"  
"I was going to get something that was triple the price it cost you to make those chocolates, but-"

Her lips silenced him immediately. It was a quick kiss; Raven wanted to cherish it more, only for Rena to pull away after two seconds.  
"You don't need to, you know. There's nothing wrong with giving me something simple."  
"It's more respectful, Rena. You can ask for anything you want. Those chocolates are my favourites so far."

"Really?"  
"Of course."  
"Thank you so much!" Rena pulled Raven into a tight hug. He was caught by surprise, and didn't hug back. By the time he had recovered the elf had already pulled away.  
"So, let's go now?"

"Yes, let's go. We have several hours before we get back." The two headed off before they heard Chung.  
"Hey! Where are you two going?"  
"Going to buy something. Why?"  
"This is for White Day, right?" The awkward silence immediately told the Tactical Trooper the answer. He laughed.

"Finally, you two got together. It was painfully obvious that you liked one another anyway."  
"You managed to hide the fact that you liked Eve pretty well." Rena replied smoothly, causing the blonde to blush.  
"How do you know that?"  
"We saw you giving your Valentine's present to Eve." Raven spoke.

"What? You? Raven?" Chung was confused, as it wasn't like Raven to spy or eavesdrop.  
"It was Rena's idea." The Veteran Commander countered calmly. The Tactical Trooper decided to drop that subject.  
"What about Elsword and Aisha?" He asked.  
"They kissed." The Wind Sneaker replied with a smile. Chung smiled too.

"That's good to hear. They finally got together like you two."  
"I've got to go and buy a gift for Rena, and she wants to tag along."  
"Well, okay. I'll be napping. That training session was a lot more tedious than I thought."  
"Alright. See you later, then."  
"Bye." Chung went back inside the mansion as Raven and Rena turned to leave, heading to the capital city of Velder.

As the two were passing through Feita, they found Lento talking to several soldiers before dismissing them. He noticed the Veteran Commander and the Wind Sneaker and walked over to them.  
"Ah, it's White Day, I see. Is this your new girlfriend?" Lento asked with a smirk. Raven was doing everything in his power to stay calm.  
"What about you, Lento?"

"I've been too busy to even get a relationship. Anyway, are you heading towards Velder to buy something for Rena?"  
"… Yes."  
"So she is your new girlfriend." Lento's smirk stayed.  
"Hey, you're still single?" Rena piped up.

"I've answered that question; yes I'm still single. I'm too busy."  
"I wonder how busy Allegro is." Rena said.  
"I'm sure he's just as busy as me. He likes to learn about alchemy."  
"He's already got a girlfriend." Lento's smirk disappeared.  
"What?"

"I said what I said. He's already got a girlfriend. Hopefully the relationship's going well…" The elf added with a chuckle. Raven was taken by surprise.  
"And who is it?"  
"Will you not tease Allegro about it?"  
"I've been visiting him less frequently. He keeps saying he's busy… But tell me anyway."

"It's Luriel."  
"What?"  
"I said. It's Luriel."  
"You mean that really shy girl who works at the Cobo Bank Service?"  
"That's her."

"I thought they'd be too shy to approach each other. Did you actually see them?"  
"I saw them at Valentine's Day on the way to Velder." Rena looked around to make sure Allegro and Luriel weren't in sight before continuing to talk. "Luriel went up to Allegro with the Valentine and she handed it to Allegro. Then they decided that it was too awkward talking in the public and they went inside Allegro's tent. I don't know what went on in there, but I really do want to know whether they kissed or not."

Lento was visibly shocked.  
"There's no excuse now, is there? And what's more, he's even younger than you." The elf teased.  
"Uh… There's no one particular I like, anyway…" She felt proud that she had managed to get Lento out of his usual calm state.

"Well, you have until next year to find someone, you know."

"Sorry, Lento, but we have somewhere to go. See you later." Rena almost dragged Raven along further down the path, and she waved while she was at it. The Veteran Commander could only wave as well.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, here we are." Rena sighed. They had finally arrived at the grand gates of Velder. It was bustling with people, just like it had been a month ago, with the same busy and festive atmosphere. The shops and stalls were filled with various merchandise, snatching the chance to make money from the milling people.  
"Is there anything you wanted in particular, Rena?" Raven turned to the elf.

"Uh, what can I buy?"  
"This is the capital of Velder. There's almost everything here."  
"Um… I don't know… is it alright if we just walk around and see what's there?"  
"Of course." They entered the gates, immediately being surrounded by the crowd and noise.

Raven was right; almost everything was here. Flowers, sugary snacks as well as chocolate were all on sale and discounted. Restaurants and cafes were serving specials for couples, jewellery stores were lined with all colours of jewels, and there was the occasional busker playing romantic music. At this time of the year, people actually stopped to admire the decorations, the music and the stores.

"It was just like this last month…" Rena murmured to herself while gazing at all the different products the shops had to offer. She had to decide on something soon enough. But as they passed the jewellery stores, the light reflecting off the precious stones caught the elf's eye. There was a bracelet made of little green gems with a leaf pendant on it, and that was got her attention the most. Then she looked at the price.

_It's so pretty, and since it's a bracelet it won't hinder my fighting. But it's so expensive, and Raven might have not brought enough money…_  
"Rena, you've been staring at that bracelet." The Wind Sneaker snapped out of her thoughts at the Veteran Commander's words.  
"Oh, right."

"Do you want it?"  
"No, it's alright. It's quite expensive and you probably-"  
"I brought just enough money."  
"But the bracelet's ten million ED!" Raven's human hand went into his pocket and he took out a plain black wallet. He took out the only thing that was in it: a single ten million ED bill.

"You… you brought ten million ED?!" The Veteran Commander smiled. That smile that made his eyes soften and his features seemed to brighten up.  
"It's only a little of what I can give you after what happened a month ago."  
"You didn't have to bring that much. I would have been satisfied with a smaller gift."  
"We're already here, Rena. Do you want it, or not? I will gladly buy it for you."

The elf wanted to grab the half-Nasod around the head and kiss him, but she had to stop herself; they were in the public and a display of affection like that would have been awkward.  
"Um… alright…"  
"Then we'll buy it." They walked into the jewellery store, which was already crowded with people. Raven asked for that bracelet and the shop assistant had taken it off its display stand with care.

Soon it had been put in a little red box with a ribbon tied around it. Raven presented the box (which Rena found cute for some reason) to the elf. Before opening the box, the Wind Sneaker led the Veteran Commander to the outskirts of the town, which was much less crowded and had some privacy.  
"Thank you so much." Rena put on the bracelet, admiring its beauty and how perfectly it fit on her wrist.

"Rena, it's White Day today. I owe you so much for what happened a month ago. Getting you a present is the least I can do."  
"But it doesn't have to be so expensive!" Raven knew how many weapons and supplies ten million ED could buy, and ten million ED was valuable considering how tight the budget was back when he was a captain of the Crow Mercenaries.

"Don't worry about it affecting the Elgang as a whole. That was out of my part of the total money, but I rarely spend it."  
"Are you sure you're okay with it?"  
"Yes, it's alright."  
"Again, thanks." Rena pulled Raven into a tight hug. He hugged back, only to feel a sharp pain in his right shoulder. The Veteran Commander abruptly released the Wind Sneaker and felt a hand gingerly around his shoulder.

"Raven, what's wrong?" His hand found something jabbed into him and he pulled it out. He almost audibly gasped when he realised what it was.  
"Is that a dart?!" The elf exclaimed. _Great. Now I'm poisoned. But who would have done this? It has to be deliberate…_ There was a small piece of paper attached to the dart, which was rolled up around it. Raven took it off the dart and uncurled the note.

_Yes, you have been poisoned. It will cause you to weaken until you die. The antidote is in that clearing._ This was already leading somewhere. The Veteran Commander knew what "that clearing" meant. And there was only one other person alive who knew what that meant.  
_Damn it, either I die or I go there. I don't even have my blade… _Raven knew he would have to depend on his Nasod arm to defend himself.  
"What does that mean?" Rena was confused.

_No, he isn't that kind of person to lie to me about threats. Especially if it's with poison. _Raven looked up, only to see a shadow from a rooftop disappear. _Looks like we found the assassin, but there's nothing I can do about that._  
"Make sure to keep your guard up."  
"You mean someone might attack us?"  
"There might be an ambush."

"What about you? You don't have your blade."  
"I have my arm; at least I can use that to block sword attacks. Stay close to me." The elf did as she was told as the half-Nasod headed towards that clearing. It was where it had all happened. It didn't take long for the two to enter the forest. Rena finally picked up where they were going.

Even before they had arrived Raven could already feel the effects of the poison weakening him. He felt heavier than before, but he knew that he had to keep going; he said that there would be an antidote. The second part may have been a lie; just to lure the Veteran Commander in, but Raven would rather have a chance at getting out alive than just dying. He didn't go down without a fight.

"It's empty…" The Wind Sneaker noted as they arrived at their destination.  
"There could easily be an ambush. Watch out from all sides, including the trees." It took a very long three seconds before something happened. Raven grabbed at an arrow aimed at his shoulder and Rena dodged one aimed at her neck. Shadows emerged as soldiers from all sides, completely surrounding the two and leaving no place to escape.

The Veteran Commander tensed. It was exactly how it happened years ago…

_Flashback_

"_Captain! Wake up!" It was one of his comrades who was one of the people standing as a lookout. He shook Raven awake, who groaned.  
"What is it?"  
"There are figures all around us. I think we're surrounded and they're advancing closer." He leapt to his feet and picked up his blade. _

_Raven walked towards the border of the clearing. The lookout was right; there were people advancing towards them.  
"Wake the others up and tell them to report to me. They look like hostile forces." His comrade nodded and carried on with his task. The fires that they had built in the clearing were barely burning, but it provided enough light to see the Velder insignias on the soldiers' armour. _

_That could only mean one thing.  
"You called, sir?"  
"I did." Raven was facing away as he said this, and turned to meet the eyes of his comrades. He gave them a look; a look that told them all of their most likely fate. "We are surrounded and outnumbered. But remember that we are the Crow Mercenaries. And we fight for justice." They all knew that their captain was wrongly framed for treason, and they all knew why. _

"_Yes sir."  
"Do not ready your weapons. We do not mean them any harm, unless they attack. You are allowed to fight back when that happens." They knew that it would happen, anyway. They were either going to be arrested, or killed. If they were arrested, they would all be put to death, anyway.  
"Yes sir." _

"_Remember who we are, and that we are not individuals, but a unit. And whatever you do, do not falter in the face of death. You have done that many times before, and it will not happen now."  
"Yes sir."  
"That is my last command to you all. Thank you all for serving in my unit, and it has been an honour to be your captain."_

"_Yes sir." Raven could not say anymore. He turned around again and found himself face to face to the person who used to be his closest friend._

_Flashback end_

Except this time it was only him and Rena. Even with their level of skill Raven couldn't be sure whether they could take on all those troops. And he was poisoned too. Again, he found him face to face with that person that he used to call his almost-brother.

"Ah, the nostalgia coming to you? I had no idea that you would still be alive to this day." That voice. That voice that Raven hated so much. That voice that he never wanted to hear again after what happened.

"It was obvious that no one could save you after that. And yet you are still alive. I wonder what happened after I left this clearing…" the voice continued. There was a more prominent shadow of a person walking towards them. The Veteran Commander gritted his teeth; the poison was doing its job.  
"And does it matter to you? Why are you still after me? I have already served my death sentence!" Raven's voice was strong, and showed no evidence that he was weakening.

"The death sentence is there so people who committed terrible crimes cannot do it again. And it looks like someone had saved you from the brink of death."  
"No, I am positive I died. I even heard them say that I was dead."  
"Hmm… Who do you mean by 'them?'"  
"It doesn't matter. Stop being a coward and show your face instead of hiding in the dark. And give me the antidote to whatever poison you used against me."

_What? Raven… died?! He never told us he died, he only said they left him there to die…_ Rena was still trying to figure out what was going on. _And who is that person…?_ The person stepped out. He was in clothes that suggested that he was a high ranked noble. His long white hair was braided and behind his back, reaching halfway down his back. And that smirk; it was evil. The Wind Sneaker could tell it was evil and that he shouldn't even be in the higher ranks in the first place.

That person. That person that the Veteran Commander never wanted to see again. That person who lead that battle, his soldiers slaughtering all of his comrades. The one who made Seris scream in pain as he slashed and stabbed repeatedly, refusing to put her out of her misery until finally he dropped her, letting her bleed to death. The one that completely mutilated his left arm, also torturing him, also letting him bleed to death, leaving him there only for the Nasods to pick him up and turn into a test subject.

It was Alex.


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you want?" Raven's voice dripped with venom as the smirking man approached them. Even a few metres length was uncomfortable.  
"Ah, I see. You've made new friends after I killed your old ones. Is this your new girlfriend that you've gotten yourself after I killed your fiancée?" The smirk grew wider.  
"Shut up and answer my question!" The Veteran Commander almost shouted.

"Patience, patience." Raven only growled in response. It was clear to Rena that he hated this man. _Wait, Raven said that his comrades and his fiancée were slaughtered. Is this the man who did it?_  
"After that event they promoted me to a rank even higher than yours for catching someone who committed treason. And what good has that given me? Nothing. And now you are standing in front of me; a person that escaped the pits of death. What would I be rewarded if I caught you again?"

"You, you were not only jealous, but greedy?" The Veteran Commander's rage was obviously rising and threatening to take over.  
"How about we end this the proper way? Let's see what that new arm of yours can do. Soldiers, attack but do not kill. I want to finish them." They all charged. But none of them, including Alex, had any idea how much better Raven had gotten. They also had no idea how good Rena was as a fighter. They were not even aware that the elf could fight.

Both of them jumped, causing the frontal soldiers to collide with one another.  
"Harpoon Spear!" Raven shot a firebomb downwards, blowing most of them away. Those that were caught in the explosion were now unable to fight. Their light armour had served them little good. The majority of the numbers had already been eliminated. Alex held up a hand that told the soldiers to stop attacking. They backed off as Rena and Raven landed.

Alex drew his sword from its sheath and charged at the Veteran Commander.  
"Rena, stay back and be aware of attacks."  
"But Raven-"  
"I don't want you getting hurt in this. Get back, now!" The Wind Sneaker wanted to fight very badly, and she wanted to kick that man in the face for what he did, but she obeyed Raven anyway. He wasn't a captain for nothing; he probably knew more tactics than the Tactical Trooper himself.

As Rena leapt backwards in the air, she rained a volley of arrows down on Alex, forcing him to retreat a little as he dodged them. This gave time for the Veteran Commander to ignite his arm and punch. His opponent blocked with his sword, but the impact of the punch and the explosion that followed sent him flying, hitting his back on a tree trunk. This knocked the air out of him, but he rolled away just in time to dodge a bullet flying his way.

"Hellfire Gatling!" Flaming bullets sprayed out from the Nasod arm. Alex's hair almost caught on fire as he dodged and blocked. After the attack ended, the recoil kicked in. This gave Alex time to close some distance and unleashed a barrage of sword attacks. Raven easily blocked with his Nasod arm; it was obvious that the man hadn't been training as much as he was.

Rena was getting nervous as two soldiers headed her way. It was obvious that both were equipped with magic armour, and it didn't look like much could touch them. A reckless attack could send her to her death. The Wind Sneaker jumped into the air, about to perform a stunning attack when a chain shot out from a hand, almost grabbing her ankle. She didn't flinch; her training had taught her that.

She sharply landed, sending out a small shockwave that only knocked her attackers back. They flinched. Rena figured that any magical attacks were useless against them, so she only waited for them to get up, which they did. Painfully slowly. She dashed and jumped, aiming a kick to their face, hoping to break a nose. But the soldier only held up a hand and blocked the kick. It should have knocked him over anyway, but it didn't.

_The armour must also be enhancing their strength!_ The other lashed out a chain that looped itself around the Wind Sneaker, preventing her from moving. It tightened painfully, causing her to cry out in alarm. The Veteran Commander turned at the sound and found the elf bound by those magic chains, being held by two soldiers.  
"Rena!" He was distracted, but not enough. Raven lifted up his arm and blocked a sword coming down on him. He and Alex clashed.

"Hmmm… You seem worried about her…" The smirk came on and the half-Nasod glared his death glare.  
"Let her go, now!" Raven couldn't hold the clash much longer. His opponent answered with a kick to the stomach, causing the Veteran Commander to reel back. He recovered just in time to block a killing blow.

The force was enough to knock Raven back further and he almost fell over. Two soldiers caught him from behind and locked his arms into place before something painfully dug into his arm, sending an electrical shock into his body. Now he couldn't move; painful spasms wracked all of his muscles. Even without the electricity he wouldn't be able to move much. The poison was doing its job.

"Now I have both of you." Alex smirked yet again. Raven growled again as he tried to struggle. It was useless. Alex took out a small case from his pocket and opened it, revealing its contents. Inside was a syringe containing a green liquid. He closed the case.  
"This is the antidote to the poison that was put into you." Just to taunt Raven he jiggled the case. Again the Veteran Commander tried to struggle, but it was no use. Alex simply laughed and clicked his fingers. A soldier chaining Rena pulled out a knife and held it near her neck. It was right above a blood vessel.

"Rena!" The half-Nasod cried out as the knife went closer. The noble laughed again.  
"How about I make this your choice? It's either the antidote, or the elf." Raven growled yet again. It was either himself or Rena. He knew he wouldn't last much longer, anyway, and even if he did get the antidote he had no idea what Alex had in store for him. What if he tortured Rena? What if he…  
"… Rena." The words came out of his mouth before he could finalise his thoughts.

"Just as I expected." A wicked smile formed on the corners of his lips before he turned to the soldiers holding the elf. "Loosen the binds a little and make her a little more comfortable." They obeyed, putting the knife down and loosening the magic chains, also levitating her with their magic so she didn't have to stand. She could move a little, but not enough to do any significant harm.

"I'll act like a proper noble and not break my promise. Now…" He walked over to Raven, taking the antidote out of its case. "Actually, using this might be helpful." Alex jabbed the needle into the Veteran Commander's right arm, injecting the green liquid. "This isn't a lie. The effects should go away almost immediately." _Why is he being so honest and nice? This can't be a good sign…_

True to his word, Raven felt the effects of the poison go away. He wasn't getting weaker anymore; rather, he was getting a little energy back, just like he usually would when he wasn't moving. Alex began to circle him, like a vulture circles its prey.  
"Raven, Raven, Raven… Tell me, how are you still alive?" The Veteran Commander only growled in response. "Does it have anything to do with your arm? Actually, let me take a look at it."

Because of the spasms from the electricity, Raven still couldn't move as Alex walked over to him, getting way too close for comfort. The noble examined the arm before lifting it up, gazing at the orange inside the metal as well as the black metal and the crow head. Then he noticed the closed vents, using a hand to pry them open; they weren't clamped shut. He looked inside it before he set it back down.

"Hmm… very interesting technology…" The Veteran Commander could have overheated his Nasod arm and burnt Alex's hands, but he couldn't. The electricity was getting in the way and the arm wasn't responding to the messages he sent through his nerves. It wouldn't even move.  
"… Oh, yes. I remember what I did to your left arm…" He laughed. Raven hated it.

And he was struggling to control his rage. If he did snap, he wouldn't be able to do so physically; even if the spasms went away, he wouldn't be strong enough to get out of the grip of the two soldiers that were holding him.  
"So, who saved you?"

"How does it matter to you? Is it just so you can come back if you were murdered?" Raven's anger was evident.  
"Just out of curiosity." _He's trying to have a friendly conversation with me… How can he do that after what he did to me?!  
_"Now that you've looked at my arm, you should already know, unless you are really that outdated." His voice dripped with venom, which somehow amused Alex.

"Hmm… Let's see if you have anything suspicious underneath that gloved right hand of yours." The noble gently stroked a finger, just to tease Raven, before he slid the glove off. It revealed something that made Rena's eyes widen and Alex grin. It was a gold ring with a crow on the top. It was on the Veteran Commander's middle finger.  
"Ah, that's right. She was your fiancée… I wonder how much it cost her to get you something so precious."

"Don't you dare touch it!" Raven's voice rose. It was the engagement ring that Seris had given him. And he wasn't going to let it get into filthy hands of the very person who killed her.  
"But you can't stop me, can you?" As much as he hated it, Alex was right. Delicately, he slid the ring off the finger and examined it.  
"Such intricacy, it must have been quite expensive."

The Veteran Commander growled.  
"Return it immediately and stop dirtying it with your unworthy hands."  
"I had thought she was a commoner and would not have been able to afford something like this. There are people who sell fake gold, you know. And there's only one way to know if this is real or not." A symbol on Alex's glove activated and he suddenly closed his hand on the ring. There was a crunch.

_No… NO! _The noble opened his hand. The gold ring had been crushed to pieces.  
"So it was real gold… pity that I didn't want it." Alex let the pieces fall to the ground before stepping on them.  
"You bastard!" Raven yelled. That was the only memento he had left of her. And this son of a bitch just crushed it without a second thought.

"Now comes the real fun." He took a vial of green liquid out of his pocket; its shade darker than that antidote. It looked horribly familiar.  
"Do you remember this?" Alex swirled the liquid close to Raven's face. It took a good three seconds for him to realise what it was.

_Flashback _

"_I have been working for the past hour and I swear that pile hasn't gone down at all." Raven thought aloud as he eyed that dreaded pile of paper that was neatly stacked at the corner of his desk. There wasn't going to be any fighting for a while, unless he received a job that was urgent and more recent. Paperwork was boring, but it meant that he and his squad weren't in a battlefield. Even if it might have been an easy one, there were still injuries. _

_And there might have been a job somewhere in that pile of paper. The next one he pulled from the top was a letter addressed to him from the head of the Crow Mercenaries.  
"I wonder what this is about-" As he began to read, a loud crash followed by a scream was heard. Raven quickly stood up from behind his desk and headed towards his blade that was propped up against the wall. _

_He grabbed it and dashed towards the source of the sound. It was coming from the labs that were underground that were usually testing fire arms, making sure they weren't faulty. There was also a separate lab where scientists were making sedatives to assist in fighting; the Crow Mercenaries minimized casualties were possible. As Raven raced down the stairs he thought he heard laughter. Wait, could it be from…?_

_The door burst open, and there was a scientist on the floor, clutching his arm. The other scientists were trying to help; it was obvious that the one on the floor was in a lot of pain. But then he turned to the source of the laughing  
"Alex! Snap out of it!" He didn't stop until Raven said those words, and then he shut up._

"_Sorry, I just lost control of myself."_

"_But what were you laughing about? There is no reason to laugh at someone who is in pain!"  
"I just got really excited, that's all. We finally got a new chemical that was sent over by a famous scientist. He wanted us to test it out and someone accidently spilt it over someone." Alex held up a vial of green liquid. "It's this. And it looks like it'll help us make our enemies think twice before they try to get rid of us."_

"_Is the scientist okay?" Raven turned to the other scientists.  
"It's a chemical burn, but it's quite severe, even though it was only a drop. It's a lot more potent than we thought." The captain realised what Alex was talking about.  
"I will ask to ban this chemical immediately."  
"Raven, no. We got this from-"_

"_We are not going to torture our enemies!" A silence hung in the air after his words before Raven turned and exited the door. The reason why Alex laughed was still unknown to him, but it was from then on that their friendship began to fall apart. _

"Finally realised? Do you remember what it does?" Raven tried to hold back his surprise.  
"Why do you still have it? Did you get the formula? Or did you sneak some out of that lab when it was spilt years ago?"  
"Let's say that I took some of the free samples that were given." Alex swirled the green liquid inside its vial and the wicked smile crept across his features.

The Veteran Commander realised what was going to come next and tried his best to hide his fear.  
"What would you get out of using that against me?"  
"My own personal enjoyment, of course."  
"Were you always this sadistic?" Raven's voice was rising.

"Hmph. Stop trying to stall the fun. Actually, let's get to it. Allow me let you step into the scientist's shoes." Alex opened the vial and poured its contents on the Veteran Commander's right shoulder, letting the liquid trail down his arm. At first, he only felt it as if it was cold water. Then it started to burn and the feeling intensified quickly. Raven's features contorted in pain, but he didn't let a sound out of his lips.

"Trying to resist it, are you?" The pain was getting near unbearable, but he wasn't going to let Alex have his fun and win.  
"Raven!" Rena cried out, her features showing worry before it changed to anger. "Stop it!" The noble turned around to face the elf.  
"There's no way I can stop it now, is there?" He turned back to his victim.

Raven noticed Rena, who was probably almost scared to death. He tried to smile. Tried to tell the Wind Sneaker that he was going to be okay. It did little to stop her thoughts that he could die, possibly tortured to death. Alex let the chemical do its work, and after the tension in the air peaked, he spoke.  
"Do you feel a little better now?"

"… Why would I…" Raven's breathing had sped up along with his heart rate. He had never felt so much terror in his life. The pain had faded, but only a little. The Veteran Commander looked at his arm. The skin had turned dark from the chemical and his eyes widened at the sight of what was happening to him. Alex laughed at his reaction before taking out a dagger that was hidden the entire time. He drew out the blade from its scabbard; Raven tried to control himself as he realised what Alex was about to do.

"Ah, so you've figured…" He shook the dagger a little and a drop of liquid fell onto the grass below. The blade of grass darkened and wilted. _Oh no…_ But there was no way the Veteran Commander was going to beg for mercy. Not after what happened before.  
"Anything you would like to say before we begin?" Alex was talking like he was going to kill Raven. And he sounded excited.

_What the hell has gotten into him? Is he really only showing his true colours to me now because he's already gained his higher rank?  
_"Too slow." Before Raven could react Alex stabbed him in the side. The Veteran Commander screamed in pain as he felt the knife inside him and the chemical doing its work.  
"Oh, don't worry. We're too far away from town for anyone to hear us…"

"Raven!" Rena cried out in alarm. But Alex was right. She couldn't help him, couldn't save him. All she could do was just watch this… _sadist_ torture the life out of Raven. The noble began to twist the blade, causing the Veteran Commander to cry out louder. He was now struggling to hold back tears; the pain was already past unbearable, comparable to the torture he had gone through years ago at the hands of this same man. But he wasn't going to give in yet. There was no way he was going to give in in front of Alex. There was no way he was going to pass out from this pain. _I'm not as weak as I look, bastard. I'll endure it!_

As if hearing his thoughts, Alex laughed. A wicked laugh that really made him sound as if he was insane. The pain was still increasing; tears now flowed freely out of Raven's eyes. He couldn't stop them anymore and he was ready to pass out. But there was no way he was going let himself do that at a time like this. If he did lose consciousness, what would happen to Rena? What would Alex do to her while he was unaware? And what would the elf think of him if he fainted? Too weak to even protect his friends where he could have if he had stayed awake?

There was no way he would be able to live that down. After what Raven had done under Nasod control, he was sure no one would take him in. After all those innocent lives he had crushed, all the destruction and the trouble he had caused. But it was the Elgang that accepted him. They was the only people in all of Elrios that he could call family. And he was one of the oldest, too, as well as experienced. And because of them, he could have one chance to get everything right again. And also to get another chance at something he had failed to do before: protect his friends.

He had never treated his squad as his underlings. It sometimes annoyed him that he was the captain; they dared not address him by his name. Even if he told them, they would get in trouble if the head of the Crow Mercenaries was around. He always treated them like friends; always making sure that the budget was as loose as possible, making sure to spend that money wisely, checking equipment for faults, giving them training sessions whenever he had time. He even took the full blame whenever something went wrong, though this was usually the fault of his soldiers.

Even though they addressed him as "sir," they didn't act distant, like a subordinate would do to their master. Raven's comrades got along with each other well, with the occasional argument or fistfight, which was nothing he couldn't break up. Whenever the captain would spark a conversation, it was as if they could go on for hours. All in all, his squad had been a big family tied together not by blood, but by friendship, laughter, tears, hardship that they had experienced together.

All of that made what had happened even more painful. His soldiers getting slaughtered one by one, all of those moments of friendship and fond memories being torn from him. And Raven couldn't even stop it. Sure, he was a captain, and he was extremely proficient on the battlefield, but he couldn't fend off that number of Velder soldiers. He just wasn't strong enough. That feeling of weakness was something that he never wanted to feel again. And now he was back with a Nasod arm equipped with a nuclear flame core as well as overheat-resistant metal and space-distorting fragments that made it lighter. A true weapon.

It was a weapon he wanted to use to protect his friends. He would use this power to protect them. And he wasn't going to let that measly blade inside him get the better of him. He had been stabbed before and endured the pain. There was no excuse to fall into the clutches of unconsciousness. But Alex jerked the dagger violently and Raven's world flashed white as he screamed yet again. He gritted his teeth; wasn't going to succumb to the pain that easily.

The Veteran Commander's courage faded as quickly as it came. His eyes were tightly shut in agony, and he felt himself getting more and more tired, not to mention weak. The pain was so excruciating; he just wanted to let the void embrace him so it would go away. But he wasn't going to even think weakly; it was something that lowered your morale and made you give up. _Damn, I can't stay conscious for much longer. But Rena's there. I'm going to worry the hell out of her if I passed out._

"Getting weaker, are we?" The combination of pain and blood loss was hard to resist. Raven's screams had weakened by a considerable level. Instead of being relieved; the Wind Sneaker felt the contrary. It only meant that he was getting closer and closer to death.  
"Stop it! Don't kill him!" Rena cried out, her voice overpowering the Veteran Commander's sounds of agony.  
"I'm not letting you ruin the fun, elf." Alex couldn't hold back his grin.

Each cry of pain wasn't only unbearable for Raven, it was for Rena too. She felt as if her heart was tearing apart slowly; he was getting tortured to death right in front of her. And she couldn't do anything about it. As she watched, the half-Nasod's screams weakened gradually until it was only gasps of pain. That was when she knew that he was on the verge of death. That was when the Wind Sneaker snapped.

A sudden burst of wind energy broke the chains around her and sent the soldiers by her flying away. Their heads connected with the tree trunks, knocking them out cold. Rena landed, rage and fury evident in her eyes. Alex didn't even notice; he was too busy watching Raven suffer. She snuck up behind the two soldiers holding Raven and, with a sweeping kick, hit them across the head and knocked them out. The Wind Sneaker didn't want to kill innocent people. Alex had probably paid them to do this.

Before the noble had time to react she kicked him aside. He was not knocked over, however, but at least he had released his grip on the blade. Raven fell to the ground and landed with a loud thump; she had never heard him land that heavily. But that thought was pushed aside. Alex was now extremely vulnerable to attack now that he was taken by surprise. She kicked him, linking her rage-powered attacks into a hard-hitting combo, repeatedly striking him in the sides.

He was knocked back with each kick, but not far enough to evade the next kick. Rena kicked as hard as she could; she didn't care if she broke his ribs, she didn't care if one of those ribs happened to puncture his lung. _He is going to pay for what he did!_ The Wind Sneaker launched her target into the air with a powerful backflip kick, hitting Alex in between his legs.

He cried out in pain; it was almost music to her ears compared to Raven's screams. Rena leapt up to meet him in the air, kicking him in the abdomen and sending him crashing down towards the ground. As he landed, a soldier went over to see if he was okay. Alex, with the assistance of the soldier, stood up.  
"I never knew you could fight." That wicked grin twisted on his features once again, and the Wind Sneaker wished that she had kicked him in the face earlier.

"Oh well. I wonder if we will meet again…" He ended that phrase with laughter before he turned around and walked away into the woods, disappearing into the shadows.  
"Coward! Scared to be up against a woman? Come up and fight!" There was no reply to Rena's word except for the soft breeze. All the soldiers were gone. There was no one here now. Then she jolted.

"Raven!"


	5. Chapter 5

The Wind Sneaker rushed over to the Veteran Commander. He was lying on his side, his hand on the handle of the dagger, attempting to pull it out of him with what little strength he had left. And it didn't look like he was having any progress. Blood stained the grass around Raven, and Rena knew he wouldn't last much longer. She had to do something, and fast.  
"Here, let me help." The elf knelt down, took the half-Nasod's hand off the handle and pulled as quickly and as she could.

He gasped in pain as the blade slid out. The Wind Sneaker set the bloodied weapon aside and turned the Veteran Commander so he was lying on his back. It was then she noticed his eyes. They were dulled, weakened, the fire that usually burned in them had been extinguished. He was struggling to stay awake.  
"You can go to sleep if you want." Rena told Raven in her most reassuring voice.

"But… you'll worry…" That was his weak reply; it was barely audible. And he was right. Then she would only have the rising and falling of his chest that would reassure her that he was alive.  
"Sorry about this." The elf took off his belt, unzipping his shirt completely and opening it. She barely glanced at his toned muscles, this was no time to be admiring his form.  
"Bandages… on belt…" Rena looked at the small barrels, opening one of them. Inside was a roll of linen.

"Okay, I'm going to use some magic to disinfect and clean your wound. It might hurt a bit." She hovered her hands a small distance above the stab wound and they glowed. Raven gasped in pain again, visibly tensing and eyes tightly shut. At first the Wind Sneaker thought he was going to pass out, but he held on, even after she had finished. The elf carefully bandaged the wound, taking care not to touch it. Finally it was done, and her hands were stained with blood, even though there was barely any of the red life essence surrounding the wound now.

"Sorry, I'll need to wash your shirt and probably your pants too."  
"It's… alright…" He still hadn't passed out. She put the roll of appendage back into the small barrel before zipping up his shirt again and putting the belt back on loosely. Rena then carefully scooped Raven up into her arms before making her way back towards town.

"Is it comfortable enough for you?" The Wind Sneaker asked. She had made sure that his long, waist-length hair was bunched up beneath his head, otherwise she would be tripping over it.  
"Yes… I'm sorry…" Rena smiled through her worry.  
"What are you apologising for? Go to sleep. It's the thing you most need right now." Just at her words his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing gained a steady pace.

"Aisha? You in there?" Elsword knocked on her bedroom door again.  
"What do you want?" A very irritated Elemental Master answered the door before her eyes drifted down to a small box that the red-head was holding.  
"Is this for White Day?" Aisha asked, getting a nod. She blushed; the Rune Slayer thought she looked cute when the red grazed her cheeks.

"Th-thank you, Elsword." She accepted the gift. "Can I open it?"  
"Sure." Aisha gasped as she saw the contents of the box. It was a bracelet with three charms, each one representing fire, ice and lightning. It was the typical magical elements that she used. The Elemental Master blushed even harder.  
"It's beautiful." It was a miracle that she didn't stutter.

"Thanks. Umm… I just got it since you're the Elemental Master and all." An awkward silence hung in the air. Aisha didn't want to be the one to make a move.  
"… Fine. I'll do it. It's your turn next time." He cupped her face and pulled her into a kiss. It didn't take long for her to kiss back and soon their tongues began to dance together. The Rune Slayer hugged the Elemental Master as she started to fall backwards, the kiss making her knees weak.

Finally they parted for air.  
"Wow, never knew you were a good kisser." Aisha smirked.  
"That was my second time, honest!" He flushed a colour comparable to his hair. The purple-haired girl laughed.  
"That was still enjoyable. Next time let's find somewhere more comfortable so neither of us have to worry about falling over-"

"Rena! What the hell happened to Raven?! Is he okay? Who stabbed him?!" Chung's voice yelled from downstairs. _Wait… Stabbed?!_ Elsword and Aisha raced downstairs.  
"I've disinfected and cleaned the stab wound. I just need to wash the blood off his uniform." They heard Rena say.  
"What happened?" The Rune Slayer asked as he arrived. He took a good look at Raven; he looked very weary even while asleep, and the side of his shirt was completely stained with blood. He assumed the wound was there.

He had never seen the Veteran Commander get hurt this badly. And neither had Aisha.  
"Is he going to be okay?" The Elemental Master asked the Wind Sneaker, even though she knew that the question had already been answered.  
"Just some rest should do him good, but he'll probably be spending quite a lot of time in bed considering what he went through."  
"Tell us about it." Elsword said in a serious tone.

"…"  
"Then if it's really that bad then you don't have to tell us."  
"Actually, I can tell you guys. I hope Raven won't mind, though…" The elf looked down at the sleeping half-Nasod.  
"It's alright. Besides, we just want to help him, right?" The others nodded at the red-head's words.  
"I'll put him into his room first." Rena carried Raven upstairs and into his room.

She then realised how awkward it was going to be taking off his clothes. _No, stop thinking about it. You weren't hesitant when you unzipped his shirt to heal him. _Telling herself that worked and, careful not to get things dirty, stripped him down to his boxers. His body was clean from blood, but the uniform needed washing, obviously. First Rena put the uniform aside on the floor, lifting Raven onto his bed and pulling the blanket over him. _Sleep well._ The Wind Sneaker then picked up his dirty uniform and dumped it in a laundry basket.

After cleaning the blood off the floor of the Veteran Commander's room she put the uniform into the washing machine; if it mixed with anything else they could go black from the colour. On her way back to his room to check his temperature Rena bumped into Elsword.  
"Rena? You okay? You look shaken."

"Really? Oh." There was a pause. "I'll tell you what happened tonight. I just need to make sure everything's okay with Raven."  
"Alright. I'll leave you alone then." He left and headed towards his own room. The elf arrived again at the half-Nasod's room, gently placing a hand on his forehead. He was warm, but not abnormally hot, which meant that his wound wasn't infected. _Phew, the magic worked. _

Now that all the treatment was done, Rena couldn't help but look at Raven's sleeping face. He didn't look peaceful considering how much pain he had gone through, but at least he was getting rest. It was so rare to see him asleep, but the elf always felt her face heat up whenever she saw him this way. And he was _shirtless_. She thought that she had gotten used to that fact since the Veteran Commander hadn't even worn a shirt when he'd joined the Elgang.

But that was three years ago. Now they had all undergone training, and grown, even though Raven had already been twenty four before. Muscle had developed in his right arm from having to wield the blade one-handed as well as doing one-arm pushups. Rena always wondered how he did it, but he did. The elf then found herself trying to remember what he looked like when he was shirtless.

Her face heated up even more when she realised how much more muscle he had on his body. Now he had a six-pack; the Wind Sneaker swore that he didn't have one before. Was it really from all that training? But Elsword had been training too from a much younger age and he only seemed to get thinner and not more muscular… No, Raven trained more than the red-head; the Veteran Commander never got lazy when it came to bettering himself, unlike the Rune Slayer, who sometimes slacked off.

_Wait, why am I thinking about this? I think I should go and do something more useful. El knows when Raven's going to wake up._ Rena left the room and went outside to find Elsword training.  
"Hey, wanna spar?"  
"Sure, I have nothing else better to do. Let's see what you've got."

It didn't hurt as much as he had expected. Raven's eyes fluttered open, finding himself in his room. The bed was so much more comfortable than the forest floor, and he didn't have that feeling of weakening that he had had while he was bleeding. The burning from the acid had gone from both his arm and the stab wound; he was thankful for that. _That bastard… I will get you back one day…_

The Veteran Commander tried to sit up, only for the wound to protest vehemently, the pain forcing him to relax. He panted as he tried to recover. _Damn, I can't move._ _And why do I feel… cold? I'm inside my blanket._ The Wind Sneaker walked in, her face displaying worry as soon as she saw Raven conscious.  
"Are you okay? How do you feel?" She asked, sitting down on the bed beside him. The elf took a towel off his forehead that he didn't notice before, put it into a small tub of water before wringing it and placing it back.

"… Weak, tired and cold, but alright. Do I have a fever?"  
"You do. I was so worried; at first it spiked up pretty high, and we all thought you were going to die, considering how weak you were." Her voice cracked; Raven could tell that tears were coming to her eyes, even without looking directly at her. _I could have died?_  
"Has it gone down?"

"Thankfully yes."  
"Rena?"  
"Yes?"  
"How long have I been out?"  
"Umm…" She paused to think. "A week." _A whole week?! _

"… Did anything happen while I was out?"  
"Umm… I told Elsword and the others what happened to you."

"I'm sorry. Did you not want me to?"  
"It's alright. What's done is done."

"I think I'll leave you to sleep for now. I'll be coming to check your fever."  
"Thanks." He couldn't leave his eyes open for much longer. Raven watched Rena leave his room. Judging by the amount of light, it was the afternoon. Too tired to think anymore, he shut his eyes, and drifted off into sleep.

"Did he wake up?" Elsword asked with a concerned tone in his voice. Rena had bumped into him on the way down the corridor.  
"He was awake when I walked in, but he couldn't have been awake for long. He looked quite tired."  
"Yeah, of course, after what happened. How's his fever?"  
"I don't know, but it wasn't burning like it was three days ago." Rena didn't want to remember her panic when that had happened. But still, her mind drifted to it…

_Flashback_

"_I believe it is time for me to check on Raven's medical condition." Eve had done it every day now, by Rena's request, but the Nasod didn't mind. Taking care of her friends never was a bother, unless it was awkward or she didn't have her servants.  
"Okay. We're coming with you." Elsword said, just like all the other times. After what Rena had told them, they were all worried about the Veteran Commander. _

"_Oberon, Ophelia, come with me." The two servants obeyed, rushing to their queen's side. Together they headed towards the half-Nasod's room. Whenever this happened, the Wind Sneaker would have that small hope that Raven would wake up, but they were gone when they entered the room. He was still asleep. Eve walked over to his side, scanning his form with her eyes. She touched his forehead to check for temperature and touched the wound to check for any infection._

_The Code: Empress then touched the newly healed skin that had once been a chemical burn. She showed no sign of surprise or excitement; that was what kept everyone else on edge whenever she examined him. Finally, she nodded to show that it was complete.  
"Oberon, get a small face towel and a tub of cold water. Ophelia, get an air thermometer. Aisha, I request that you start cooling the room immediately. Raven has a high fever." _

"_What?!" Everyone exclaimed. Aisha immediately rushed off to her room to get her staff. The two Nasod servants hurried out of the room to follow their orders and everyone else just stood there.  
"Elsword, you may help to cool the room. Do not make the temperature drop suddenly; Aisha can charge your ice runes with mana every now and then." The red-head nodded, beginning to summon a few runes. _

_By the time Aisha got back Elsword explained. She charged the runes completely. Oberon and Ophelia came back with their items. The masculine type Nasod placed the tub and the face towel on the bedside and Ophelia placed the thermometer on the table.  
"How high is the fever?" Rena asked.  
"I have not calculated the exact temperature yet, but all I know is that it is high enough to kill him." _

_The Wind Sneaker gasped.  
"Then shouldn't we be doing more than just this?"  
"We lack the medical equipment and medicine to do anything else."  
"…" Not being able to do anything was something that Rena hated.  
"Then… we just wait for it to all work out?"_

"_Yes, unfortunately. Oberon, put the towel on his forehead." Eve ordered.  
"No, Eve, it's alright. I'll do it." The elf offered. The Nasod servant stepped back as Rena took the towel, soaked it in the water and wrung it out. She placed a hand on Raven's forehead, confirming that the fever really was serious. She put the towel on his forehead. For now, the Elgang just had to hope for the best. _

_Flashback end_

"Oh well, that's good. Raven better not freak us out like that again." Elsword sighed.  
"Yeah."  
'But I guess he couldn't help it. The poor guy." There was a pause. "Anyway, there's not much stuff left in the fridge. Should we go shopping? I have nothing better to do." Rena laughed.

"Are you hungry already?"  
"It's so hot today. I was just checking the fridge if there was anything cold to drink." The elf's mind immediately went to Raven upon hearing the temperature of the day, but Eve had said that the fever had gone down, and that it was no longer necessary to cool the room unless it really was hot.  
"Well, sure, why not? All these times I've been shopping alone. It's nice to have a companion to go with."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Rena smiled.  
"Let's not waste any more time." They headed downstairs and outside. But the Wind Sneaker was still as worried as before. What if something happened while she was gone? And it wasn't like he was well away from death. Still, she hoped that Raven would get better soon.


	6. Chapter 6

_One month later…_

"Hey, Raven, you're up." Elsword called out as the half-Nasod walked over to him in that same clearing.  
"I have been in bed in a while, so I decided I should go out and get some fresh air." Raven had his blade with him. Even with the weapon the red-head knew that he was in no shape to fight. The wound most likely hadn't healed completely yet.

"I know you can't spar, but why do you have your blade with you?"  
"Just in case I suddenly lose my energy. Then I don't have to worry about falling over."  
"Then, are you just taking a walk?"  
"Are you slacking off on training while I'm not able to spar with you?"  
"Of course not! I promised my sister I would train every day!"

"But that doesn't mean that you'll train on schedule." Raven was discreetly suppressing a smirk.

"Fine. I've been training less because it's so much more boring without you." A pause.  
"… Really?"  
"Of course! I want to spar with you right now, but then I'll only end up hurting you. And Rena would scold both of us." Elsword almost laughed. An elven fighter scolding a former captain. That would be funny to watch.

"Since there's nothing I can do here, I'm going back to the mansion to see if Rena needs help doing anything." That only meant housework. The Rune Slayer couldn't stop himself from laughing.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Sorry, I'm just imagining you dusting and cleaning up our rooms." He continued to laugh. Seeing no way to tell Elsword to shut up in a calm, collected way, Raven just sighed.

"I'll be going back then. And don't slack off on training." The Veteran Commander walked away back towards the mansion. As he arrived, he found Rena wiping the last of the bench with a cloth, before she briefly washed it and hung it back up.  
"Is there anything you need help with?" Raven asked the elf, who turned around.  
"No; I've already finished cleaning up before lunch. I was about to go and train, but I can accompany you if you want."

"We haven't been able to have a proper conversation for a while. Let's go to my room." Rena nodded and together they headed towards the said room.  
"Can I see the wound?"  
"It's healing fine. Doesn't hurt that much." The Veteran Commander unzipped his shirt and opened it up, revealing the bandage around his abdomen.

"Just don't do anything rough, okay? Boys usually do that and get themselves hurt even more."  
"Rena, I'm twenty-seven. I'm not that immature." She laughed.  
"Seriously, men do it, too. Even at the elven village; they want to stand up for themselves or for others, only to get themselves hurt."

"If someone was attacking you I would fight."  
"I can fight too, you know. I've fought more against armed opponents than unarmed, so I've gotten used to that."  
"But-"  
"I should be able to handle by myself. Just because I'm a female doesn't mean I can't fight."

"I know."  
"And besides, you told all of us that you shouldn't engage in a battle that you know you can't win. So if I was outnumbered I would run."  
"If you were surrounded then you would have to fight your way out."  
"And if that were the case I would have to be the one protecting you, not the other way around."

"…"  
"Oh, by the way, thanks so much for the bracelet you gave me on White Day." Rena pulled back her sleeve to reveal the gleaming green jewellery. "I've taken care of it."  
"You're welcome."  
"I should buy something for you in return." Thinking about jewellery, the Wind Sneaker's mind immediately went to the gold crow engagement ring that Alex had crushed.

"No, it's alright."  
"… Fine, considering how stubborn you can be with these kind of things." _When was the last time I had been called stubborn? _Raven wasn't annoyed, though.

"Let me try something." Rena leaned forward a little towards the Veteran Commander, staring into his golden orange eyes.

They had that usual fire in them. And the elf loved that. And Raven stared back into her green yellow orbs. They were so bright; it was something that always lit up his day. Something that always cheered him up. Something that reminded him of Seris. Rena's hand snapped him out of his thoughts. The silky touch started from the back of his jaw all the way to the front of his cheek.

Raven felt his face heat up, but he couldn't turn away.  
"You're so cute when you blush." That only made him blush harder. He couldn't tell what was going to happen next, but his curiosity was immediately satisfied when Rena pulled him into a kiss. The Veteran Commander could already feel the Wind Sneaker's tongue exploring his mouth, and kissed back.

Her hands were first at the back of his head to hold him in position, before she slid them down his back. Rena's touch sent shivers up his spine, and it was making him weak. Raven couldn't help but lie down, bringing the elf down with him, and still kissing. Soon his hands were feeling her back and her sides too. Her skin was soft; there was no evidence of the time she'd spend training.

They broke away for air. Rena couldn't help but notice that Raven was an experienced kisser. After another pause their lips connected again. Their tongues continued to dance, feeling each other as they went.  
"We should stop before we go too far." The Veteran Commander spoke after they parted again, sitting up. _It was only twice, but it felt like forever._

"… Yeah. Why don't you get some rest?" Raven sighed.  
"I think I've been getting too much."  
"But you still shouldn't be walking around. Besides, you have nothing better to do, right? You're usually sparring with Elsword at this time."  
"…"

"Anyway, before I leave, are you sure you're okay?"  
"I'm fine, Rena."  
"After what Alex did to you?" The elf immediately regretted asking that, because Raven paused before looking at the floor, his hair hiding his face.  
"… I'll handle it."

"If you really need help, please just tell me. It's not good to keep it to yourself."  
"..." There was another pause before the Veteran Commander suddenly leaned forward and kissed the Wind Sneaker, but it was only quick.  
"Thank you so much." He said afterwards. _If you really need help, just tell me. It's not good to keep it to yourself._

The words echoed in his mind as a memory began to play…

_Flashback_

"_Raven, are you sure you're okay? You should take a rest." He sat in the lounge of their small house, with his head hanging forward. He looked very exhausted.  
"I can't, Seris." And she had no idea why. She needed to get Raven to spill it out.  
"Tell me what's been happening over the last few days." Seris demanded. Her boyfriend shook his head. _

"_Raven, please. If you really need help, please tell me. It's not good to keep it to yourself." Her soothing voice must have struck something inside him, because he lifted his head up and looked into her eyes.  
"Can you promise me not to tell anyone?"  
"Okay, I promise."_

_Flashback end_

He had told her how all of their missions against this one target was constantly failing; his squad being constantly captured in battle, tortured, then let go. And he was the one who took all the blame and was under a great amount of pressure from being demoted. Raven had visited his comrades in hospital, trying to comfort them. There had been no other defeat that had struck him that hard.

But letting it out had made him feel a lot better. Rena had been right, and so had Seris. He had always thought it was his battle and telling someone was just going to get them involved and hurt. That was true in some cases, and he would need to think about the consequences. He wasn't a captain for nothing.  
"No, Rena. I'm fine. Really."

"Okay, then. I'll leave you alone." She stood up, the sunlight flowing through the windows reminding him of Seris. "See you later."  
"See you later." After the door closed, Raven walked over to the windows, closing the curtains and blocking out the majority of the natural light before crawling under the covers, being careful with his wound. The Veteran Commander expected a nightmare to disturb his rest, causing him to bolt up as he woke, causing more pain to his side.

The nightmare never came.

**Elsword: Wow. Almost three weeks late. You owe the readers a really big apology. **

**Skyress8619: Of course. My deepest apologies for the lateness of this story. Writer's block and school caused me to finish writing this story three days late. Really, it was the beta-reading that was the reason why this story was so late, but please do not blame Yuki. She tried her hardest. And there was school as well. **

**Skyress8619: Thank you all so much for the amount of reviews, favourites and follows I have received from the previous story. Really, I only expected about 1 or 2, but I got more instead. Again I apologies that I kept you readers waiting for so long. Thank you all for your feedback and support, especially Yuki and Jetstream Girge, for beta-reading and a constructive review respectively. **

**Skyress8619: I do greatly appreciate you readers if you leave a form of opinion on this story, whether it be a PM or a review. After this story, you most likely won't be seeing another for the next few months, or I might decide to update my killing story chapter by chapter instead of all of it at once. And… that's all I have to say. **

**Skyress8619 has logged out. **


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